Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 16:11
How is it that ye do not understand that I spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Verse 11. How is it that ye do not understand] We are not deficient in spiritual knowledge, because we have not had sufficient opportunities of acquainting ourselves with God; but because we did not improve the advantages we had. How deep and ruinous must our ignorance be, if God did not give line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little! They now perceived that he warned them against the superstition of the Pharisees, which produced hypocrisy, pride, envy, &c., and the false doctrine of the Sadducees, which denied the existence of a spiritual world, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the providence of God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
How is it that ye do not understand,…. That you should be so senseless and void of thought, after such instances, as to imagine, that I concerned myself about what bread you brought with you; one would think you could not but know,
that I spake it not to you concerning bread, taken in a literal sense; but must be thought to speak figuratively and mystically, and to have an higher sense and meaning, when I said to you,
that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees; how could you think that I had any regard to the leaven taken in a literal sense, the Pharisees and Sadducees approve or disapprove of?
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(11) How is it that ye do not understand?True to His method of education our Lord does not Himself interpret the parable, but is, as it were, content to suggest the train of thought which led to the interpretation. And the disciples, slow of heart as they were, followed the clue thus given. Then understood they. Memory did at last quicken faith, and faith imparted the imaginative insight which sees its way through parables and dark sayings.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“How is it that you do not perceive that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
So he asked them how they could possibly have failed to recognise that He was not literally taking about bread. Rather He was saying, ‘beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, that is of their harmful counter teaching. The Pharisees and Sadducees differed on many things, but certain things they were agreed on. They did not want to disturb the status quo, they did not believe that He was the Messiah, and they were agreed that if the Messiah came He would perform miraculous and spectacular signs. It is not simply accidental that this will be followed by Peter’s direct confession of Jesus as the Messiah. He has taken to heart Jesus’ words.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 16:11 . ] how is it possible! Astonishment in which a certain amount of censure is expressed.
] see critical notes. It is not necessary to supply (Paulus, Fritzsche), but we are rather to understand that after the question ending with , Jesus repeats, and with a view to its being yet more deeply pondered, the warning given in Mat 16:6 , in which case is simply continuative (autem): But (let me say again) beware , and so on.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Ver. 11. How is it that ye understand not ] Ignorance under means is a blushful sin. The Scripture calls such, horses, asses, mules, and sends them to school to unreasonable creatures.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 16:11 . , etc.: warning repeated without further explanation, as the meaning would now be self-evident.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
concerning. Greek. peri. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mat 16:11. , how) A particle expressing astonishment.-Cf. Gnomon on ch. Mat 8:10.- , not concerning bread) The literal meaning is frequently more true and more sublime than the meaning of the letter; and where the latter treats of things natural, the former leads to things spiritual. In things spiritual, heavenly words ought to be taken more closely.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Mar 4:40, Mar 8:21, Luk 12:56, Joh 8:43
Reciprocal: Lev 2:11 – no leaven Eze 17:12 – Know Mat 3:7 – the Pharisees Mat 7:15 – Beware Mat 13:51 – Have Mat 15:16 – General Mat 16:1 – Sadducees Mat 22:16 – the Herodians Mar 7:18 – General Mar 8:15 – Take 2Pe 3:17 – beware
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:11
Jesus needed only to state that he was not considering bread when he used the term leaven, for the disciples then concluded rightly that he had used if figuratively.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 16:11. How is it that ye do not perceive, etc. The recent instruction (chap. Mat 15:19-20) that eating did not defile a man, should have prevented the surmise about not eating bread with the Pharisees and Sadducees; the miracles should have shown them that lack of earthly bread was not referred to. Mark stops at this point in the narrative.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
16:11 How is it that ye do not {f} understand that I {g} spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
(f) A demand or question joined with wonder.
(g) “Spake” for commanded.